Circular-knitting machine



July 24, 1923 L. HOUSEMAN CIRCULAR KNITT ING MACHINE Filed May 5, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 w. l.. HOUSEMAN CIRCULAR KNITTG MACHINE Filed May 5, 3922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 24, 1923..

, OF PHILADELPHIA,

or PENNSYLVANIA.

CIRCULAR-NNITTING MACHINE.

Application filed May 3,

To @ZZ eli/0m t may concern:

Be it known that I, `WILBUR L. HOUSE- MAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, county of' Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usei'ul Improvement in Circular-Knitting Machines. of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,

to, or withdrawn from,

which form a. part of this specification.

In the manufacture of hosiery it is well known to provide a' plurality of yarn carriers or guides from which threads of different character are led to the needle cylinder, and which are movable into and out of position` to cause them to be caught by the hooks of the needles, so that any one or more of them may be, at any given time, directed theneedles, thereby causing the character of the knitted fabric to be different at different points in the length ot the stocking. As an example, threads of diii'erent'colors may be provided so as to produce a stocking one or more parts ot which are of one color and one or moreparts of another color. Another and more specific example is where the heel and toe. and particularly the tip portions of the heel and toe, are knit from` yarn of a color different from that of the remainder oi the stocking.

In changing yarn, vit is customary to cause the yarn that is 4moved out of knitting relation with the needles to be` clamped at a point between the last needle on which it is knit and the yarn guide and then to cut the yarn between the clamp and the last needle on which it is knit. This leaves a free end ot yarn extending'. from such last needle, loosely `within the circle ot needles. It also leaves a clamped end of yarn extending from the yarn gfuide.l When this yarn is again moved into knitting relation with the needles, the clamped end of yarn is released, and again a free end of yarn, extending from the first needle on which the yarn is knit, is left extending loosely'within the circle of needles. Bearing in mind, therefore, that jas one yarn is moved in to knit, the other yarn is moved out, it will be understood that, at the time of yarn change, there are two Heating ends of yarn. Either of these floating ends is likely to be caught by the needles and knitted in'lwith the other 1922. Serial N0. 558,147.

threads, thereby, especially in the case of a dlfferently colored thread, so marring the stocking that it is not of first quality and is salable only at a reduced price.

The object ot' the present invention is to provide new and improved means for guiding and holding these free or iioating ends of severed yarn away from the needles so that they cannot be accidentally caught thereby and knitted into the fabric. The invention is more particularly applicable to machines arranged to exchange threads during oscillation ot the needle cylinder, as in the knitting of the heel or toe. I am aware that this object has been heretofore sought and achieved, but I believe the structure I have devised presents decided advantages in simplicity of construction and mode of operation and particularly in that the object sought is secured by means wholly mechanical and positive.

In the drawings, which show a preferred embodiment of my invention:

Fig. l is a plan view of the top of the knitting machine comprising principally the needles, the yarn guides, the clamp and cute ter and their actuating mechanism, and the mechanism for" guiding and holding the loose end of yarn out of knitting relation with the needles.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the mechanism of F ig. l, the needle cylinder being shown in vertical section.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the clamp, looking toward the left, Fig. 1. l

Fig. 4 is a side view of the cutter, looking toward the right, Fig. 1.

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are diagrams showing the mode of operation of'my invention.

Fig. 8 is a side view of the device which directly engages the free end of severed yarn and moves and holds it into position to prevent accidental engagement with the needles.

The needle cylinder a'carries `the independent needles b actuated by cams (not shown).

Secured to the yarn bracket c is a bar d carrying a block e forming a support for the clamp and cutter. Projecting in front of the block'e is a fixed yarn-engaging foot To the bottoms of block e and foot f is secured a plate g which extends over the larger part of the area enclosed by the needles. .j This plate is more fully described hereinafter.

Pivoted between its ends to one side of the block e is a clamping jaw 71,. A spring tends tohold the jaw against the plate g and in that position to clamp yarn' that has been drawn from a yarn guide over the plate in the rotation of the needles. The spring i connects one free end of the clamping jaw h with the free end of an arm j which is held in fixed position by means of a set screw c. The tension of this spring may be readily adjusted by loosening the screw 7c and turning the arm into position to impose the desired tension on the spring c' and by then tightening the set screw to hold the arm in its adjusted position.

Secured to the other side of the block e is the fixed blade m of a cutter. Pivoted to the same sidev of the block is the movable blade n of the cutter. This blade is actu ated by a spring 0 when allowed to act. by the control mechanism for the clamp and cutter.

This control mechanism comprises a lever p pivoted at one end to the machine frame and at the other fend carrying a lifter r having sideprojections r andi12 adapted to extend, respectively, under projection z of the clamping jaw h and projection a of cutter blade n. i

g is a yieldingclamp which is associated with the positively operating` clamp h, but it' plays n necessary part in the operation of the present invention.

w, y and e represent yarn guides.

At the time of yarn change, when it is desired thattlie clamp and cutter shall act, the lever p is lifted by means of a vertically movable rod. s (operable automatically), which engages a set screw t on the lever p. Thereby the critter blade 'n and the clamping jaw 7L are successively lifted. At this time th'e inactive end of yarn that has been previously held by the clamp is moved down by its yarn guide into operative relation with the hooks of the needles and the clamped end is released.v The other yarn, which it is desired to move out of action, is lifted by its yarn guides out of operative relation with the needles and the end extending therefrom to the fabric is drawn, by the rotation of the needle cylinder, under the clampingjaw 7L. in front of the foot f, over the fixed cutter blade m and under the movabl'e cutter blade n. Successive positions of a yarn about to be cut and clamped are indicated by the dotted lines 11, 12, 13 and 1/1 inFigs. 5 and 6. -When such yarn has about 'reached the position shown at 14.-, the rod 's is dropped by the pat-tern mechanism and the lever 79 falls into the position shown in Fig. 2, first releasing the clamping iaw i and allowing its spring i to move it intoclamping position and then releasing the cutting blade fn and allowing its spring 0 to actuate it to sever the thread.

I have heretofore referred to the plate g, which acts as a floor over which the yarn is drawn and as an element which cooperates with the clamping jaw L. The cutterm, n is located just beyond the edgev of the plate, which extends across the circular space within the needles except for an open segmental space adjacent the cutter. At one side 0f this segmental space, the plate has an arcuate extension fu. having a reduced extreinity o, acting as a deflect-or, as hereinafter described, the point of which lies close to the needles. Adjacent the root of this deflector is an upright post fw. The lower face of the defiector is bevelled, as shown .in Fig. 8.

lVhen the yarn that has been rendered inactive reaches the position 13, fore cutting and clamping, it contacts with the post 10,. about which A1t is drawn as the needle cylinder continues to rotate in the direc-tion shown by the arrows in Figs. 5

and 6. After thisv yarn has kbeen cut and -has been carried beyond the position 14 shown in Fig. 6, the needle cylinder reverses its direction of rotation, as in the knitting of heel andtoe, and the end of yarn is carried under the defiector and thus under the plateg, at which level it is held. At this level it cannot accidentally engage the hooks of the needles.

After the yarn reaches theposition shown in Fig. 6 at 14 and iscut and clamped as described, a confined end of yarn extends from the yarn guide i/ to the clamp and be yond, as shown at 15, Fig. 7. 1When the yarn guide y is again mgved into operative position and the clamp 71. retracted', this end of yarn is released and becomes a iioating end, which is even longer than that lfloating end formed when the same `yarn was moved out o f operative position (as previously described) and is vlikely to give more trouble. Successive positions of this yarn, as the needle cylinder continues -to rotate, are shown at 16, 17 and 18. After'the yarn hasbeen carried beyond position 18, the needle cylinder is reversed and the loose end of yarn is carried under the defiector and thus under the plate g, at which level it is held.

The post fw, although of advantage, is not absolutely essential; but without the deflector the end of yarn would remain above the plate g and would be likely to move outward and Jfall between some of the needles and thus be knit into the fabric.

For` the sake of clearness, Ihave illustrated, in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, but one yarn. The yarns from all the carriers are, however, cut, clamped and deected under the plate (y in the same way; and the free ends are taken care of inthe same way, whether it is the free end formedl afterV throwing the yarn out of operation, as shown in Figs. 5

Fig. 5, -be-v i every change of yarn,

and 6,'01 the end that is releasedafter` throwing the yarn into operation,-as shown in"Fig.7. r v

l It will, therefore, be understood that at two Heating ends are formed,y one by the yarn that has just been engaged with the needles and-the other 'by the yarn that has j ust'been disengaged therefrom, and that both floating ends are taken care of in the same way so as to eliminate all danger of theiraccidental engagement with the needles.`

Having now fully described my invention,`

what I claim and ters Patent is:

l. The combination with an oscillatable needle cylinder, a plurality of yarn guides, a clamp and a cutter. of a deilector so positioned that that portion of the floating end of cut yarn which is adjacent the fabric is carried, in the travel of the needle cylinder in one direction, beyond the deflector, the said deflector being adapted to engage said floating end in the reverse travel of the needle cylinder and draw it out of position to accidentally engage with the needles 2. The combination with an oscillatable needle cylinder, a plurality of yarn guides, a clamp and a cutter, of means to operate the clamp and cutter in the travel of the cylinder in one direction, and means operative in the travel of the cylinder in the opposite direction adapted to engage an end of yarn extending from the moving knitted fabric and deflect the severed loose end out of position permitting accidental engagement with the needles.

3. The combination with an oscillatable needle cylinder, a plurality of yarn guides, a clamp and a cutter, of a detlector adapted to deiiect a severed end of yarn floating from the moving knitted fabric, `said deflector being so positioned that that portion oi the floating end of severed yarn which is adjacent the fabric is carried, in the rotation of the needle cylinder in one direction, beyond the delector and is engaged thereby in the needle cylinder. and means to hold the so-deflected floating end ot yarn out of position permitting accident-al engagement with the needles.

The combination with a. rotatable needle cylinder, a plurality of yarn ,Qnides` a clamp and a cutter, of a plate underlying the clamping jaw and extending over a large part of the area enclosed by the circle of needles. and a delector projecting beyond the plate adapted, in the rotation of the needlesto engage a Heating end ot varn and deilect the end thereof under the plate, where it will be held out of position to 'accidentally engage the needles 5. The combination with a rotatable needle cylinder, a plurality of yarn guides, a clamp, a plate underlying the clamping jaw,

desire to protect by Letan arcuate extension from the plate, a deleetor .on said extension'adjacent the needle bed, and a cutter extending over the space between the body of the plate and its arcuate extension. t H f 6. lhecombination with a rotatable needle cylinder, a plurality of yarn guides, a clamp and a cutter, of a plate underlying the clamping jaw, an arcuate extension 'from the plate adjacent the cutter, and a deiiector on said extension adjacent the needle bed, said deflector having anu inner wall sloping at' an yacute Vangle toward the needle bed.

The combination with a rotatable needlecylinder, a plurality Vof yarn guides.-` a clamp and a. cutter, of a postpositioned between the cutter and the needle bed and adapted to engage an end oi yarn that is formed at the time the yarn is cut when thrown out of action and about which such end is carried in the travel of the needles, and a deilector adapted to engage the yarn in the travel of the needles in the reverse direction and move the end of yarn out of position to prevent accidental engagement with the needles.

8. rlhe combination with a rotatable needle cylinder, a plurality of yarn guides, a clamping jaw and a cutter, of a plate underlying the clamping jaw and extending over a large part of the area enclosed by the circle of needles, a post projecting above said plate between the cutter and the needle bed and adapted to engage an end of yarn that is formed at the time the yarn is cut when thrown out oi action and about which such end is carried in the rotation o'f the needles in one direction, and a deflector projectingr beyond said plate adapted, in the rotation of the needles in the oppositedireetion, to engage said yarn and deflect the end of yarn under the plate.y where it will be held out of position to accidentally engage the needles.

9. The combination with a rotatable needle cylinder, a plurality oi yarn guides, a clamping jaw and a cuttrr. of a plat adapted to hold a floating cut end of yarn out of engagem ent with the needles, an arcuate eXtension from the plate adjacent the cutter, a yarn-engaging post the needle bed and adapted to move the yarn into position to be held by the plate as specified.

l0. The combination with a rotatable needle cylinder, a plurality of yarn guides, a clamping jaw and a cutter, of a plate underlying the clamping jaw, an arcuate eX- tension from the platev adjacent the cutter, a post carried by said extension, and a delector on said extension between the post and the needle bed, said deflector having an inner wall sloping from adjacent said post toward the needles.

l. (i fi 11. The .combination with a rotatable needle cylinder', a plurality of yarn guides, a clamping jaw and a cutter, of a plate underlying the clamping jaw, means to engage the yarn and cause it to travel as a chord of gradually increasing length as the needles travel in one direction, and means to engage the yarn on the return travel of the needles and deflect it under said plate.

12. The combination with a rotatable needle cylinder, a plurality of yarn guides, aclainp and a cutter, of ineans over which is carried the yarn which extends between a yarn guide and the fabric after said yarn is disengaged from the needles preparatory to clamping and Cutting and also the yarn which extends from the fabric after the clamped end of yarn is re-engaged with the needles` preparatory to unclainping, and a deflector adapted to engage the end of yarn Which in either case floats from the fabric and draw said end under said means, said means thereafter acting to hold said loose ends 'from accidental engagement with the needles.

In testimony of which invention, I have hereunto set my hand, at Philadelphia, Pa., on this 27th day of April, 1922.

` WiLBUR L. HoUsnnaN. 

